THE VOICE OF CLEAR LIGHTNews and Inspiration from Ligmincha InstituteVolume 4, Number 11November 10, 2004**************************For easy reading, we recommend that you print out "The Voice of ClearLight."**************************IN THIS ISSUE:"Opening Your Heart" - a few edited excerpts from oral teachingsgiven by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, 2004.Upcoming Retreat: 'Zhine: Dwelling in Peace' - February 24-27, 2005with Gabriel Rocco, at Serenity Ridge.On the importance of zhine - an excerpt from "The Tibetan Yogasof Dream and Sleep" by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche."Heart to Heart" - Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche responds to astudent's question.Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's winter teaching schedule.Winter Retreat reminders.Beautiful 2005 Calendar now available at Ligmincha's store.**************************"OPENING YOUR HEART" - a few edited excerpts from oral teachingsgiven by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, 2004.Generally, different people succeed at different things in life. Foreveryone, success has so much to do with one's openness. We can seethat very clearly. We may think at times that our success is due toour good logic or skills, or to our training, or to having enoughMon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 2 of 8education or enough confidence. These are also good reasons forsuccess. But then there are the many times in life when anopportunity comes along to do something, and we think, "No, Icannot do that. That's too difficult a project for me. That's toobig a task for me. It's too much work, it costs too much money, Idon't have enough help." How many times do we hear ourselves sayingthings like that?When you react in this way, it basically means you are not sensingthe space of the situation. You feel as though the task is occupyingall the space. When you don't have confidence in the space, thenyou won't take the initiative. This is because you do not have asense of completeness.***Imagine that the heart is completely open. If it's really, reallyopen, in a more enlightened sense, then in that openness love willspontaneously manifest. However, at the beginning stages of openingone's heart (through regular meditation practice), then the fourimmeasurable qualities of love, compassion, joy, and equanimity willnot be as spontaneous in coming. You may feel your heart is somewhatopen, but not enough so to feel a really strong sense of love orcompassion, or a strong sense of balance, or a strong sense of joy.Yet, the obstacles and the sadness that had been there arediminished. There is a bit more balance there. The hate is not asintense there.When you feel these developments, that's really what tantricpractice is about. Tantra utilizes the conceptual mind. You see,our minds are able to come up with incredible ideas and thoughts. Wecan see what great things people have accomplished with theirthoughts. In the same way, our minds are able to generate incredibleconceptual ideas of how we can develop in our relationships withothers, how we can feel more joyful, how we can feel more balanced,how our hearts can open. That's really what tantra is about.Sometimes people say, "When I try to come up with ideas about whatjoy means to me, I just draw a blank." Yet, if I were to ask themabout many other topics, then they would be able to generate so manyideas. For instance, if I were to say, "Let¡¯s talk about yourconfusion," you could probably tire everyone out talking about thissubject. You could talk so much about it, with such complexity, somuch depth, and so much excitement. Even if you were feeling sleepy,you would immediately wake up if you were suddenly asked to talkabout your confusion.What is it that makes us feel awake in that situation? What makes uscome up with so many ideas? How are we able to converse for fivehours about confusion, but not even for one minute on the feeling ofjoy? It's because we have not empowered our conceptual mind.Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 3 of 8Through the teachings and the practice, we are beginning to empowerour conceptual minds on the basis of some sense of openness, ratherthan confusion. This is what we are trying to do here.***We are clearing the space in order to experience space - to just bein that space. We want to experience a sense of openness, a sense ofcompleteness and a sense of the existence of certain qualities. Howclearly can I just be as a result of clearing and dissolving myanger, for example? How clearly can I be as a result of sensing thatI don't feel so imbalanced in my thoughts? After dissolving theanger or the imbalances, how much clearer is my sense of being thanbefore? How much clearer is my sense of openness than before?In that openness what I feel is completeness. Completeness of what?Just completeness, not completeness of something. The kind ofcompleteness that is based on conditions would not be the best kindof completeness. My sense of completeness stems from a feeling that Idon't lack anything. This is a better definition for this sense ofcompleteness, rather than saying that if I have these 10 things thenI will feel complete. When you narrow down the cause of yourcompleteness to 10 things, then you may lose one after another ofthose causes until even all 10 are gone. That is not the truecompleteness, is it?When you feel a bit more this true sense of completeness, then youfeel more the existence of the virtuous qualities. You begin to feelthe love that is there. When do you not feel love? When you feelincomplete. When do you not feel balanced? When you feelincomplete. When do you feel fearful? When you feel incomplete.When do you feel insecure? When you feel incomplete. The point isthat when you're feeling more complete, then you feel the existencenot only of the four immeasurable qualities of love, compassion, joy,and equanimity, but of every virtuous quality.**************************'ZHINE: DWELLING IN PEACE' - FEBRUARY 24 - 27, 2005with Gabriel Rocco, at Serenity Ridge.This year marks the fifth annual zhine retreat. Each year, a growingnumber of both beginning and senior students gather in February atSerenity Ridge, encouraged by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's strongand persistent recommendation to practice zhine. Through itsskillful means, zhine strengthens the attention and develops thepowers of concentration necessary to calm the mind, experience innerMon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 4 of 8peace, and enter the tantric and dzogchen practices of Bon. For moreexperienced practitioners, zhine continues to develop the stabilitynecessary for contemplation, the capacity to rest in the uncontrivednatural state of the mind.Each year the guidance and instruction for the practice of zhine atthis retreat evolve further as they are informed by Tenzin Rinpoche'scontinuing commentaries and clarification of this calm abidingpractice. This retreat is appropriate for new and experienced zhinepractitioners. Everyone is invited to join in the warmth andcommunity created by the many returning students as we develop thepower of zhine and its capacity to enhance the results of other Bondzogchen and Mother Tantra practices we have received from TenzinRinpoche.Gabriel Rocco is a senior student of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He hasstudied and practiced with Rinpoche since 1993 and is a member of theLigmincha Board of Directors. Gabriel received his master's degreein contemplative psychotherapy from Naropa University.Register for the zhine retreat by the "early-bird" date of December22 for a fee of $200, by January 26 for $250, or after January 26 for$275. Contact Ligmincha Institute at
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or (434) 977-6161.**************************ON THE IMPORTANCE OF ZHINE - an excerpt from "The Tibetan Yogas ofDream and Sleep" by Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche:"Zhine practice should be done every day until the mind is quiet andstable. It is not only a preliminary practice, but is helpful at anypoint in the practitioner's life; even very advanced yogis practicezhine. The stability of mind developed through zhine is thefoundation of dream yoga and all other meditation practices. Once wehave achieved a strong and reliable steadiness in calm presence, wecan develop this steadiness in all aspects of life. When stable,this presence can always be found, and we will not be carried away bythoughts and emotions."***"The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep," by Tenzin WangyalRinpoche. Edited by Mark Dahlby. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications,1998. Available at Ligmincha¡¯s Bookstore. Visitwww.ligminchastore.org or call toll-free (866) 522-5269. In theCharlottesville area, call (434) 220-0060.Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 5 of 8**************************HEART TO HEART - Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche responds to astudent's question. (an excerpt from oral teachings given by GesheTenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, 2004)Student: I feel a sense of completeness while we're practicing andthen I lose it because of "grasping mind." How should we practiceto have a stronger innate self-awareness and a greater ability toabide?Rinpoche: Good question! It seems like the answer is to practicemore, doesn't it? This idea of a sense of completeness is veryinteresting. Is it a feeling? Is it a state? Is it a realization?Is it something that you have to hold onto? To cultivate? It seemsthat you can have different levels or ways of relating to that senseof completeness. Let's say there is a big sense of completeness,what one might call the embodiment of completeness. At the other endof the spectrum, there is the very conditional kind of completeness.Between those two there are an infinite number of layers of ways ofbeing. With how many of those layers do you have a relation?It's interesting to reflect on this and to observe your ownexperience.We place great importance on our ability to clear and release ourobstacles and negative emotions, but the experience of actuallyresting in the space after the release is equally or even moreimportant than the effort of releasing those obstacles. People go totherapists with the sole intent of releasing what is troubling them.That's good, but therapists should allow their clients equal timeas well to recognize the space that exists in the absence of anyobstacle once it is cleared.Usually after a problem is released, people immediately start toredefine themselves. My point is to not do that right away. Imaginethat in the sky there are a lot of clouds, and you are trying toclear away one section of them. Once that area is cleared, what doyou see? You see the sky. You don't try to reorganize the cloudsagain in that clearing. You are trying to see the sky more, theopenness. People are afraid of the openness; or it has no meaningfor them, they don't recognize it. They don't just allow itexperientially and let it be present a little more. What do we doduring the exhaustion part of the Heart Drops practice? We restthere. After contemplative breathing, what do we do? We rest there.The active stages of meditation practice are moving something, butthey are not the unchanging state. Ultimately, the practice is notabout doing, it's more about resting, about abiding. We do thesepractices because they allow us to abide more clearly.Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 6 of 8**************************GESHE TENZIN WANGYAL RINPOCHE'S WINTER TEACHING SCHEDULENOVEMBERNovember 17, 2004, Charlottesville, Va.'Sound and the Natural Elements,' Public Talk. Downtown CenterContact: Ligmincha Institute, 313 2nd St. SE., Suite 207,Charlottesville, VA 22902;(434) 977-6161; fax: (434) 977-7020; e-mail:
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November 19 -21, 2004, Berkeley, Calif.'The 21 Nails, Part 5.' Contact: Laura Shekerjian, (510) 849-2373;e-mail:
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DECEMBERDecember 27, 2004-January 1, 2005, Charlottesville, Va.Annual Winter Retreat: 'The Experiential Transmission of The ZhangZhung Nyen Gyu, Chapter 3, with Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche; andNgondro Practice Retreat with Geshe Lungrig GyaltsenContact: Ligmincha Institute, 313 2nd St. SE, Suite #207,Charlottesville, VA 22902;(434) 977-6161; fax: (434) 977-7020; e-mail:
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JANUARYJanuary 14-16, 2005, Los Angeles, Calif.'Sacred Syllables: The Healing Power of Sound in the Tibetan BonBuddhist Tradition'Contact: Ligmincha California c/o Bob Anger, 929 Idaho Ave. #7, SantaMonica, CA 90403-2957; (310) 369-4747; e-mail:
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Jan 28-30, 2005, Houston, Texas'Sacred Syllables: The Healing Power of Sound in the Tibetan BonBuddhist Tradition.' Contact: Ligmincha Texas, (713) 621-7430; email:
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Website: www.LigminchaTexas.orgFEBRUARYFebruary 4-6, 2005, New York, N.Y.'Experiential Instruction of the Dzogchen Masters of the ZhangZhung Nyen Gyu'Contact: New York Open Center, 83 Spring St., New York, NY. (212) 219-2527.Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 7 of 8**************************WINTER RETREAT REMINDERSThis year the Winter Retreat at Serenity Ridge begins on Monday,December 27 (two days after Christmas, rather than one) and ends onSaturday, January 1.Tenzin Rinpoche will be teaching from Part Three of The ExperientialTransmission of Zhang Zhung: The View, Meditation, Flexible Behavior,and Result of Dzogchen (includes chapters 4 through 7 of the ChagTri). Part Two transmission is required.At the same time at Serenity Ridge, Geshe Lungrig Gyaltsen will beleading a Ngondro Practice Retreat. As many of you know, Geshe-la'spresence at the recent Fall Retreat was a blessing, and he is awonderful teacher. We are very pleased to announce that the Ngondropractice retreat is open to all, even those of you who have notreceived formal teachings on the Ngondro. Geshe Gyaltsen will leadthe Ngondro practice and transmission will be given at the end of theretreat. So for those of you who have been wanting to begin study ofthe Experiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung, Part 1 of theseteachings is the Ngondro, and you may begin the practice at thisyear's winter retreat.If you sign up by November 18 for the Winter Retreat - Part 3 of theExperiential Transmission of Zhang Zhung with Geshe Tenzin WangyalRinpoche - the cost is $450. After November 18, the cost is $500.If you sign up by November 18 for the Winter Ngondro Practice Retreatwith Geshe Lungrig Gyaltsen, the cost is $350. After November 18,the cost is $400.Contact Ligmincha Institute at
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or (434) 977-6161.**************************BEAUTIFUL 2005 CALENDAR NOW AVAILABLE AT LIGMINCHA'S STORE.This year's 11" x 8 1/2" black-and-white calendar has 12 full-pageimages of original calligraphy by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Includedis a glossary of the dzogchen terms that describe the meaning of eachbeautiful piece of calligraphy. For the third year in a row,Ligmincha offers the full Tibetan calendar (in Tibetan and English),as well as Bon and Buddhist auspicious dates and major U.S. holidays.The calendar is now available! Price: $12.95 plus shipping. Visitwww.ligminchastore.org or call toll-free (866) 522-5269. (In theCharlottesville area, call 434-220-0060.)Mon, Oct 3, 2005 11:59 AMPage 8 of 8In practicing calligraphy, one develops a deep relationship with theseed syllables. These syllables represent the subtle flows of energyand deep, inner qualities. The enlightened beings themselves emanatefrom these syllables. Gazing at these syllables, or painting them, isa powerful form of meditation through which one develops many subtlequalities such as doubtlessness and self-confidence. - GesheTenzin Wangyal Rinpoche***********************The Voice of Clear Light is a free, e-mail publication of Ligmincha Institute. Your suggestions andcontributions to the Voice of Clear Light are welcome. To contact us, simply reply to this message andyour email will reach the VOCL editor.Anyone may subscribe to the VOCL by sending a blank e-mail to
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*************************For more information about Ligmincha Institute, the teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, or retreats atSerenity Ridge or our regional centers, please contact us:Ligmincha Institute313 2nd St. SE Suite #207Charlottesville, VA 22902434-977-6161 fax 434-977-7020
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www.ligmincha.org*************************For books, tapes and transcripts of teachings by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche as well as other books and itemssupportive to Bon and Buddhist practice, please visit the Ligmincha's Online Store atwww.ligminchastore.org or contact the Ligmincha Store at 434-220-0060or
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We are happy to announce the first publication by Sacred Sky Press! In Indestructible: The Longevity Practice of Lama Tséwang Rikdzin, Raven Cypress Wood has beautifully translated and annotated parts of Tséwang Rikdzin's text, the Tsewang Jarima. Known as the “King of Longevity,” eighth century Tibetan master Tséwang Rikdzin composed many ritual texts aimed at alleviating suffering and was a dzogchen master. The book was first made available during Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche’s fall retreat at Serenity Ridge. Now it is available to all.

The hardcover has a dust jacket and contains color word highlights and several color photos. The paperback contains the same contents, but with black and white text and interior photos.Order copies here

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Voice of Clear Light is a free email publication of Ligmincha International. Your suggestions and contributions to Voice of Clear Light are welcome. To contact us, send an email to: voiceofclearlight@ligmincha.org

For more information about Ligmincha International, the teachings of Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, or retreats at Serenity Ridge or our other regional centers, please contact us at: